March 2, 2013

Brazilian newspaper Correio Braziliense interviewed me for an article about Pope Benedict XVI's legacy on sexual abuse scandals. The article, which is in Portuguese, includes a couple of comments from me. Here is the Google translation of that paragraph (which does not seem to be perfect but gives the general idea):

For communications professor Brian Kaylor, James Madison University, Ratzinger, as cardinal still, pressed for more answers until John Paul II. But despite taking the allegations more seriously than his predecessor, Benedict XVI will be remembered also critical. "Many inside and outside the Church, believe that he should have acted more aggressively to punish sexual predators and encourage civil actions against them," says the specialist in political and religious rhetoric. However, according to Kaylor, his legacy will depend on how the next pontiff deal with the issue. "John Paul has become incredibly popular after death, and Benedict has struggled to get out of his shadow. But I think his reputation will increase in the future, when observers note how he dealt with the crisis more seriously than John Paul."

These are important issues for Catholics to consider as they enter into the time of selecting the next pope.